Need a Tough Phone for Summer? Casio Has Your Back

Summer is here, and with it the beach, camping trips, and all sorts of fun that’s terrible for a smartphone. Or at least, an ordinary one. Rugged smartphones however laugh at all those problems, and Brighthand has your guide to the latest and greatest model right here.

Although they don’t get a lot of attention, there are “rugged” smartphones out there on almost every carrier: waterproof, dustproof, mostly abuse-proof, and the newest member of the club is the Casio G’zOne Commando 4G LTE. Its predecessor, the Commando V711 met with a very favorable review from Brighthand after being put through the paces, as well as moderate success in the market: despite its specs being rather weak, the toughness of the device appealed to many who might be rough on a smartphone. Casio’s rugged phones in particular are rated for a wild array of conditions, usually much worse than even an avid outdoorsy person will face. Repeated 4 foot drops. Total immersion in water for up to 30 minutes. Freezing to -13 degrees for up to four days. Heating to 185 degrees for up to four days. 4 inches per hour of rain combined with 40 mile per hour winds. Salt spray, low air pressure, noon day sun, dust and grit…anything that you can take, the Commando can too.

But those features aren’t just useful to people in high impact jobs. Anyone who’s ever dropped their phone in the sink, or the mud, can attest to how useful it would be to have a waterproof phone that you can just pick up and wash. Or one that’s immune to sand if you really want to finish that ebook out at the beach. And for anyone who does more than the bare minimum outdoors, a rugged smartphone can be a lifesaver when you need it.

Fortunately for those interested in a tough new phone the new Commando 4G LTE eliminates its predecessors weakness in specs entirely. The new Commando is expected to sport a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 16GB of storage, Verizon 4G LTE, and a larger screen, albeit still only 4 inches. While not in the league of current high end phones, the Commando 4G LTE is more than capable of handling day to day tasks for virtually any user. On top of that it sports a fully rugged design, international roaming, a microSD slot for additional memory, and options for an extended battery or wireless charging.

As for pricing, the Commando 4G LTE comes in on the surprisingly cheaper side, given that rugged phones are typically a little more expensive. As of June 27, Verizon customers can pick up the Commando 4G LTE for only $99.99 with a new two-year contract and after a $50 rebate.